Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)(91)

Mota. Weed. The      layer between my skin and muscles itches. I want a hit. More like I crave a      hit—the smell surrounding me, the smoke burning my lungs, the feeling of freedom      and floating. Oh God, I want more than anything to float.

Isaiah stands and Rico kicks my foot as he passes. “You’re      in, right, Beth?”

It kills me to shake my head. “Curfew.”

I peek at Ryan. Does he know what mota is? The smile falls from my lips as I flip      through the stories we’ve told. Oh crap, I feel sick. The drinking. The drugs.      The parties. He heard it all. My stomach sways. He knows what I am.

“Beth,” says Isaiah. He waits until I look at him. “The      stuff is mild. You’ll be sober by curfew.”

“Isaiah,” Noah warns.

Isaiah would never steer me wrong. If he says I’ll be sober      in an hour, then I will be. He knows how much I long for weightlessness. A loud      crashing noise comes from the house. I know these people. Ryan doesn’t. I can’t      leave him defenseless. “No, I’m good.”

“Suit yourself.” Rico heads into the house. Isaiah stares at      me and I don’t understand the gleam in his eye. Abruptly, he follows Rico.

In the hammock, Noah begins to kiss Echo. The two of them      will be lost in their own world for the rest of the night and Isaiah will easily      be gone ten minutes. The night has been fun, but it’s also made me the rope in a      strange invisible tug-of-war. Ryan sat on one side of me. Isaiah the other. It      felt weird to be next to both my best friend and the guy I really like.

Why can’t Isaiah see that we’re just friends? Friends only.      I need to talk to him before I leave. I need to straighten this whole mess out.      Honestly, I just need to hear him say that he didn’t mean it and that he’s still      my best friend.

Ryan stands, stretches, and walks over to the tree on the      opposite side of the yard. I glance over my shoulder at the house. I’ve been      careful not to rub Ryan in Isaiah’s face, but I need to make sure Ryan’s okay      too. Yeah, Isaiah will be gone for a while. Rico’s a slow tripper.

I follow after Ryan. “You don’t have to move for Noah and      Echo’s sake.”

Hundreds of Christmas lights hang from the tree. His      sun-kissed skin is beautiful under their glow. “I didn’t move because of      them.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Then why did you?”

Ryan inclines his head and his eyes roam my body as if      savoring the sight. “You’re beautiful when you laugh.”

Warmth blazes on my cheeks and I break eye contact. Ryan      reaches out and touches me. His fingers linger on my neckline and the whisper of      his caress on my skin heats my blood.

“You should laugh more,” he says.

I swallow. “Life hasn’t given me much to laugh about.”

“I could change that.” Ryan invades my personal space and      every part of him connects with a part of me.

I inhale and smell the delicious scent of earth after the      rain. “You smell good,” I say.

His hand glides along the curve of my spine and into my      hair. Chills energize my body. “So do you. You always smell like roses.”

I giggle at the thought of me smelling sweet and bite my lip      to stop the girlish reaction. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

Ryan’s lips form that glorious smile with dimples and my      blood tingles straight to my toes. This smile is for me and me alone.

“There are lots of things I want to say to you, Beth, and I      want to be the first to say them to you.”

Intense hunger glazes his eyes. I’ve seen the same look on      other guys, but on Ryan it’s different. That stare has more depth—more      meaning—as if he’s seeing inside me.

“I want to kiss you,” he murmurs. “Do you want to kiss      me?”

My heart beats faster. Oh, Ryan can kiss. I’ve stayed awake      at night and replayed his lips against mine. His kisses are strong like him,      possessive and demanding. Ryan said beautiful things to me in the barn and he      touched me in ways I only dreamed someone could touch me. My fingers burrow into      his thick hair. “Yes.”

Ryan lowers his head and I close my eyes. The anticipation      of this moment creates an energy that sizzles in the autumn air. I’m going to do      it. I’m going to kiss Ryan—sober.